Three Reasons To Watch The Blackhawks, Even Without Connor Bedard

From the moment Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard went down with what proved to be a fractured jaw, the team’s fans couldn’t help but wonder if there was anyone else worth watching on this young, rebuilding Blackhawks team. Sure, Bedard wasn’t completely a one-man show when healthy, but there’s no question he was one of his squad’s only sources of offensive production. Without him, is there even a reason to watch the 2023-24 Blackhawks?

The short answer is yes. Even though Chicago is a much less entertaining team without their young star player, they’re certainly an interesting group to keep an eye on while Bedard recovers from his injury. For three reasons in particular, the Blackhawks’ next 12+ games without Bedard are crucial.

Trade Targets

For a young team without immediate championship aspirations, the NHL trade deadline is one of the highlights of the year. Last year’s deadline was a tough one for Blackhawks fans, as they had to say goodbye to some of their franchise’s biggest icons, including Patrick Kane. Still, it was an important period for the Blackhawks which brought plenty of young talent to the system, helping build its long-term future.

This year, the Blackhawks will go through another crucial trade deadline. With a few players who could fetch some value currently on the roster, GM Kyle Davidson and his staff will still be looking to stockpile young talent - the team isn’t ripe for top-tier talent to be injected just yet. To do so, they’ll certainly be shopping offers for players like Jason Dickinson and Petr Mrazek, who are both having career years, among others. The next month and a half contain huge games for these prospects in order to fetch good value in return. If a skater like Dickinson can keep up his impressive pace, the Blackhawks could set themselves up with an even more bolstered pipeline as they look toward the future. Fans can watch the next several games to root for these veteran skaters, even if only to see where they end up in March.

Can Young Blackhawks Step Up?

I wrote Monday about young forward Lukas Reichel - despite his slow start, increased ice time and expectations without Bedard are just what Reichel needs to step up and bounce back. With the Blackhawks’ forward lines as thin as ever, the coming games are a great opportunity to get a glimpse of the future of the franchise. Players like Reichel, Philipp Kurashev, Cole Guttman, and more are likely to be around when this team is ready to be a contender, but how will they fare in a role more in the spotlight?

Defensive Development

With seemingly every Blackhawks forward on IR at this point, it only makes sense that the puck would spend more time in Chicago’s defensive zone. That’s not a great sign in theory, as the Blackhawks’ defensive unit contains more than a few rookies/young, inexperienced skaters. However, youngsters like Kevin Korchinski and Alex Vlasic have been pleasant surprises, proving why they belong in the Blackhawks’ long-term plans on the blue line. Will those two and others be able to withstand the added pressure on the defensive end? If they can step up in the next several games, that’s a great sign of what’s to come in Chicago.

While the Blackhawks without Bedard certainly aren’t the most exciting team in the league to watch, the added spotlight on certain players makes the next few weeks crucial for the team’s long-term success. Nevertheless, the superstar rookie will certainly be welcomed back with open arms when he’s ready to return!